Over the last few years we've seen Naoya Inoue (17-0, 15) go from schooling Yuki Sano one handed in just his third professional bout to claiming the WBC Light Flyweight title, the WBO Super Flyweight title and the WBA "Regular" Bantamweight title. He has looked sensational since announcing himself on the world stage, stopping Adrien Hernandez, and really turned heads when he blitzed Omar Andre Narvaez, in a bout that made him an international name but also saw him badly bang up his hands. In 2018 he again showed his destructive ability by stopping Jamie McDonnell and Juan Carlos Payano, both inside a round.One question that has often been asked is just how high can he go? Can he be the next Asian fighter to climb through the weights like Manny Pacquiao, who won world titles in 8 divisions, or is his limit going to be rather lighter than that?To begin with we should look at history. Throughout the history of the sport only one man has ever won world titles to bridge Light Flyweight and Super Bantamweight. That was Mexican warrior Jorge Arce (64-8-2 49).

Arce's first 2 titles came at Light Flyweight, winning the WBO title in 1998 and the WBC title in 2002. Unlike Inoue he did compete at Flyweight, winning the WBC interim title, but never got a shot at the full title before moving up in weight. He would have a few shots at 115lbs before finally winning the WBO Super Flyweight title in 2010 before skipping a division the following year to claim the WBO Super Bantamweight title. He would then head down to Bantamweight to pick up the vacant WBO Bantamweight title. In total he would compete in 20 world title fights, going 14-6 (9) from December 1998 to October 2014, when he lost in an attempt to win the WBC Featherweight title from Jhonny Gonzalez.Arce's career began when he was just 16. He was 19 when he took the WBO Light Flyweight title from Juan Domingo Cordoba, in his 22nd bout, 22 years old when he claimed his second Light Flyweight title, defeating Yo Sam Choi in his 34th bout. He came up short in his first 3 Super Flyweight world title bouts, before getting a vacant title fight with Angkly Ankotta and winning to claim his third world title, in his 60th professional bout. His next title was the Super Bantamweight title, which came when he stopped Wilfredo Vazquez Jr in his 65th fight at the age of 31. He would rematch Angkotta, again for a vacant title, at Bantamweight title after defending the Super Bantamweight title once.By the time he was a 4 weight champion Arce had notched a 59-6-2 (45) record. He was 32, and had grabbed vacant titles at Super Flyweight and Bantamweight, by beating Angky Angkotta.So we do have a precedent of a fighter climbing successfully from Light Flyweight to Super Bantamweight. Interestingly Arce was similar in size to Inoue as well, with Inoue being ½″ taller and 1½″ longer, in terms of reach.Notably there is also one fighter who has gone from winning world titles at Flyweight, a division Inoue famously missed out on, to Featherweight. That's Nonito Donaire who claimed the IBF Flyweight title, the WBC Bantamweight title, the WBO Super Bantamweight title and the WBA Featherweight title, before dropping back down to Bantamweight last year to claim the WBA "super" Bantamweight title. We won't go into Donaire too much, though like Inoue and Arce he missed out on the division above the one he won his first world title at.

Donaire is more notable in a way due to his natural size. He was huge at Flyweight and Bantamweight, and still a big fighter at Super Bantamweight, standing at 5′ 7½″ and boasting a 68" reach. Like Inoue he's heavy handed, but in ways became a fighter who depended on his power, rather than the skills to set that power up. When he and Inoue have been pictured together you can clearly tell they are not the same size, despite both currently competing at Bantamweight, and as you can see in the picture he physically dwarfs Inoue.Given that I've just mentioned size, it's worth considering how Inoue stacks up with current Super Bantamweights.Inoue is a muscular 5′ 5" fighter with a 67½″ reach. His frame will certainly be capable of adding 4lbs with no real issue, but how does he stack up with the Super Bantamweight champions?WBA champion Danny Roman (26-2-1, 10) is the same height as Inoue and only has a slight edge in reach, at 68" WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete (26-1, 22) is taller than Inoue, at 5'7", but looks huge at the weight and his time competing at 122lbs may not be that longWBC champion Rey Vargas (32-0, 22) is a wiry fighter at 5′ 7½″ with a 70½″ reachand IBF champion TJ Doheny is (20-0, 14) is 5′ 5½″ with a 68" reach.It should be noted however that Isaac Dogboe (20-1, 14) was recently the WBO champion and he's significantly smaller than Inoue, standing at around 5'2" with a 66" reach. He had success despite being small, and Inoue's size doesn't seem as much of a disadvantage as that of Dogboe.Whilst all 4 champions are bigger than Inoue the Japanese fighter was physically dwarfed by both Jamie McDonell and Yoan Boyeaux, and Inoue has shown an ability to get inside on bigger men.

Inoue's father has suggested his son will, one day, fight at Featherweight. It's not something in their immediate plans, and they will certainly more to Super Bantamweight first, but it is worth considering how he would fair at Featherweight.At Featherweight we again see fighters naturally bigger than Inoue, though the reality is that the Featherweights don't appear much bigger than their Super Bantamweight counter parts.

WBA champion Leo Santa Cruz (35-1-1, 19) is 5′ 7½″ with a 69" reach, though he carries the weight well he does regularly give up his reachOscar Valdez (24-0, 19) is almost the same size as Inoue, standing at 5′ 5½″ with a 66" reachIBF champion Josh Warrington (28-0, 6) stands at 5'7" and although being tall isn't a powerful fighter, who instead relies on speed and a very high work rateand WBC champion Gary Russell Jr (29-1, 17) is actually smaller than Inoue, listed at 5′ 4½″ with a 64" reach.If Inoue does indeed take a Super Bantamweight title, to become a 4 weight world champion, and a Featherweight title, to become a 5 weight champion, there will clearly be some thoughts towards another title at Super Featherweight. That's despite the fact that Inoue would be one of only a handful of fighters, including Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar Delay Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, to win titles in 5 weights.Through history we have only had men winning world titles in 6 divisions, De la Hoya and Pacquiao. If Inoue was to win a world title at Super Featherweight, as well as the other 2 divisions as mentioned, he would put his name in a very select list.

Currently the Super Featherweights are a mixed bag in terms of size. A couple of title holders are similar in size to Inoue. Champions bigger than Inoue at the weight areWBC champion Miguel Berchelt (35-1, 31) is 5'7" with a 71" reach, both significantly bigger than Inoue, and he too is a huge puncherWBA champion Alberto Machado (21-0, 17), who stands at 5'10" and has a 72" reachWBO champion Masayuki Ito (25-1-1, 13), 5′ 8½″ and has a 70½″The outliers here however are Gervonta Davis (20-0, 19), the WBA "super" champion, who is 5′ 5½″ with a 67½″, and Tevin Farmer (28-4-1, 6), who is 5'6" with a 67" reach. Both of these are similar in terms of reach and height to Inoue, though Davis is built like a "Tank", excuse the pun, and has the body type to carry more weight with little issue.So back to the original question. How high can Inoue go?We don't imagine him having problems at Super Bantamweight, he has the skills, size, speed and power to compete at Super Bantamweight tomorrow. He will be giving away a bit of size, but not too much against many of the champions.At Featherweight he will certainly come across some problems, but does regularly spar with Featherweights, and more than holds his own. He can certainly make a mark there in the future, and could do so against a recognised champion.It's at Super Featherweight where we start to think he will totally struggle and would be very lucky to win a world title. He could, potentially, nip up and take a vacant title against a weak opponent, like we saw Arce do, but against an actual top Super Featherweight we think he'd struggle.It is worth noting that we have only used the current champions for size comparisons, with Inoue now 25 years old it's going to be years before he heads to Featherweight, if he ever does, and by then the title scene will have changed drastically. If he ever ends up at Super Featherweight we wouldn't expect the title scene to be anything like it is today, and would be genuinely surprised if any of the current champions are still title holders at the weight in 3 years time.

It was another busy weekend of fight action as 3 of the continents best talents took to the ring and neither of them disappointed.

We begin at the Yokohama Arena where Naoya Inoue squared off against Juan Carlos Payano in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight World Boxing Super Series. Some had the opinion that Payano might go a few rounds but a single left right combination 70 seconds into the contest and the Dominican was laid out on the canvas giving Inoue his second first round win of 2018. It’s hard to know what other superlatives and adjectives that haven’t already been used to describe the 25-year-old, who continues to wreak havoc in the lower weights.

Unfortunately we won’t see Inoue again until 2019 where he will meet the winner of the bout between Emanuel Rodriguez and Jason Moloney in the semi-final but few would bet against the Japanese wrecking machine from picking up the WBSS trophy. The card was shown on Fuji TV in Japan, DAZN in the US and free on the WBSS platforms in other territories including the UK and generated a massive buzz online with Inoue amongst the top trends worldwide on twitter, showing how his stardom continues to increase.

The co-main event on this show saw WBC light flyweight titlist Kenshiro make the 4th defense of his belt against forma world champion Milan Melindo in what looked another stern examination for the home man. The first 2 rounds saw Kenshiro used his jab to great effect whilst Melindo had some success with the looping right hand. The champion began to up the pace in round 3 and his quick feet and darting in and out raids were causing the Filipino issues. Kenshiro poured on the pressure, reigning in right hands and body shots and a cut to the challenger only added to his woes.

Any further success Melindo did have was quickly snuffed out as Kenshiro toyed with his opponent and the contest was stopped in round 7 due to the cut with Melindo looking like an old fighter by the conclusion. Coupled with his wins over Ganigan Lopez, Pedro Guevara and going back to his victories over Katsunori Nagamine and Kenichi Horikawa, Kenshiro really has built himself a very strong resume and in most people’s eyes is the number 1 light flyweight in the world which is no mean feat given the insane strength in depth at 108 lb. A December 30th return looks likely and it would be great to see the 26-year-old being given a world title defense in Kyoto and there are numerous fabulous fights for him for the foreseeable future.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai made the 3rd defense of his WBC super flyweight crown against Iran Diaz in Thailand. The bout headlined a One Championship card at the Impact Arena giving Srisaket major exposure at home. Not being a fan of MMA or never having viewed a One Championship show before, the whole event feel/crowd reaction was a real eye opener and nothing I’ve ever experienced before whilst watching boxing from Thailand.

With the atmosphere at fever pitch and the crowd almost baying for blood Srisaket flew out of the blocks in the opening stanza, ripping home crunching body shots and it looked like we could have a short fight on our hands. To his immense credit Diaz showed a superb chin and the ability to keep taking the numerous punches to the torso from the champion. The Thai got sloppy and neglected his defense and was lucky not to have 2 knockdowns awarded against him in rounds 8 and 9.

Having repeatedly hammered away at the body Srisaket tried to target the head in the last few rounds but he had to be content with a wide unanimous point’s verdict against the gritty Mexican challenger. It’s unclear what the next move of the hard hitting southpaw is but a rematch with Juan Francisco Estrada should happen sometime next year and there is also talk of a unification with IBF belt holder Jerwin Ancajas. It would also be great to see Srisaket fight in front of a raucous packed crowd at home once again as it could do wonders for future Thai boxers.

Finally we had an unexpected brawl at the hall as Masaru Sueyoshi and Hirinori Mishiro battled to a 12 round split draw with both the Japanese and OPBF super featherweight straps on the line. Given Sueyoshi’s awkward style and Mishiro’s preference to fight at range this had the potential to be a bit of a stinker but after Sueyoshi began brightly Mishiro turned the tables, forcing Sueyoshi into a toe-to-toe scrap leading to a fantastic contest which hopefully will take place again in early 2019. Rising flyweight youngster Junto Nakatani dominated Shun Kosaka over 8 rounds to book himself a shot at the Japanese title next year and he’s certainly someone to keep an eye on going forward.

Boxing might be the sweet science but, if we're all being honest, it's also a fight. Due to it being a fight we of course love the true fighters, the ones who come to the ring with the intention of stopping their opponents and are willing to do all they can to finish a fight early. In this feature we're going to take a look at 10 of the most fun to watch Asian fighters. Some fighters you will be familiar with whilst others you may not be too aware of, one thing is for certain however, these men mean business every time they step in the ring.

1-Naoya Inoue (7-0, 6)It's been a while since we saw the “Monster” in the ring but Japanese youngster Naoya Inoue may well be the most fun to watch fighter on the planet and manages to be fun to watch whilst also being defensively sound and offensively destructive.

The youngster from Kanagawa is as destructive as they come, with both vicious power in both hands, and manages to break opponents up with shots to either the body or the head. Unlike many on this list however he's not an out and out pressure fighter, instead he's a boxing machine who can do it all, box, slug or brawl. In Japan he's a star and unlike many Japanese boxers he's also a man known around the boxing world courtesy of his amazing 2014 which saw him claim world titles at both Light Flyweight and Super Flyweight, beating recognised world champions for both of those titles.

3-Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (36-4-1, 33) Pressure, power and aggression tend to excite fans and few fighters bring that combination together quite as well as 28 year old Thai Srisaket Sor Rungvisai.

In many ways Srisaket is like a mini-Golovkin and always marches forward looking to get up close and break his foes down. Technically he's not as good as Golovkin and not as powerful in relation to his division but he does tend to throw a lot of shots and is really exciting. Sadly like many Thai's however he seems to fight a lot poor opposition leading some fans to question his ability. Wins against Yota Sato and Jose Salgado should however convince fans that he's the real deal and a must watch fighter.

The Thai destroyer is looking to get a rematch with the last man to defeat him, Mexican Carlos Cuadras. That bout isn't expected immediately though we'd be shocked to not see by the end of Q1 2016.

5-Jonathan Taconing (21-2-1, 18) The stereotype regarding the “little men” is that they can't punch though no one seems to have told 28 year old Filipino slugger Jonathan Taconing, who boasts a 75% stoppage rate and has an average bout length of just over 4 rounds.

Taconing does everything a fight fan could wish to see, he brings pressure, he brings power, he brings an intense will to win and it often looks like he has a genuine bitterness towards the sport. Whilst that bitterness is understandable, given the way he was robbed of a WBC Light Flyweight title in 2012, it's also really exciting and when Taconing steps into the ring we always suspect we're going to see fireworks.

His heavy hands and aggressiveness was last seen in the ring when he beat Ramon Hirales Garcia, he's now expected back in action to defend his OPBF Light Flyweight title before a potential world title fight either at the end of this year or very early next year. And in all honesty that shot it well over due considering the ability of some recent challengers in the division.

7-Koki Eto (17-3-1, 13) When we talk about blood and guts warriors few will match Koki Eto who was involved in a series of FOTY style bouts in 2013/2014.

Eto is, of course, best known for his 12 round war with Kompayak Porpramook though battles with Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep, Ardin Diale and Denchailek Kratingdaenggym were also thrilling bouts. Technically Eto is limited but he has an insane will to win, a real grittiness and a mentality that seems to be based around thinking his offense is his best defense. We wouldn't be shocked to see his career feature several more thrillers before it's over and win or lose he's going to be a lot of fun to follow.

At the moment there is, sadly, no news on his next bout, though there is speculation that he may be in the running for a notable bout with an IBF ranked contender, or a defense of his OPBF Flyweight title. A rematch with Diale however seems to be a bout that many fans, who saw the first, are wanting.

9-Denver Cuello (36-5-6, 24) When a fighter is dubbed “The Excitement” you know for a fact he will be fun to watch and that's the case with Filipino fighter Denver Cuello.

Cuello, like many others on this list, proves that the little men can punch and be thoroughly fun to watch. At one point he, like Pacquiao, would have been much higher on this list though recent years we have seen Cuello troubled by injuries which have resulted in him looking less spectacular than he once did. If those injuries are healed fully then he may well prove to be the exciting fight who blew through the likes of Ganigan Lopez and Omar Soto. If he's still fighting injured however he may well be in some dull contests in the future.

At the moment there is no set date on his next bout, but he will likely be eyeing up the winner of the recently announced WBC Minimumweight title bout between Wanheng Menayothin and Young Kil Bae, which will take place on November 27th.

2-Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30) Kazakh destroyer Gennady Golovkin may well be the most feared man in the Middleweight division right now but fans and the media love him and his style which is based on intelligent pressure and incredibly heavy hands.

At times the 33 year “GGG” can be seen to be defensively naive but his chin has never looked like letting him down and in fact his “poor” defense has opened up opportunities for his power, as seen in his amazing stoppage against Daniel Geale. His ability to excite fans has turned him into a star around the world and should lead to a series of huge fights over the next 12-24 months, including a probable show down against either Saul Alvarez of Miguel Cotto. Wins against either of those two would have Golovkin as the de facto kingpin at Middleweight and see a growing call for him to move to Super Middleweight for a potential showdown with Andre Ward.

4-Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22) Japan has a number of excellent fights at Super Featherweight, included in those is the incredibly fun to watch Takashi Miura.

Miura is a marauding southpaw puncher with a serious chin, spiteful powerful and a style that often makes it look like he enjoys beating people up. Whilst plenty of fans have seen Miura he's still generally an under-rated fighter which is a shame as his competition in recent years has been solid and he's shown a willingness to travel, as seen in his 2013 FOTY contender with Sergio Thompson.

Although over-shadowed by compatriot, and fellow champion, Takashi Uchiyama we actually think Miura is the more exciting of the two and his style is certainly more active than Uchiyama's calm and calculating boxer-puncher style.

The rumour is that Miura is now set to get on the road again and face Francisco Vargas in the US in a bout that has “FOTY” written all over it.

6-Katsunari Takayama (29-7-0-2, 11) Probably the most exciting fighter, pound for pound, on the planet today is Katsunari Takayama a Minimumweight warrior who has been involved in so many thrilling contests that it would be hard to know where to begin if we were doing a highlight reel for him.

Last year Takayama was involved in possibly the FOTY when he took on Francisco Rodriguez Jr in an IBF/WBO world title unification and since then he has been involved in two more tough bouts, including a 9 round war with Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr. Sadly at 32 years old Takayama does look like he's an “old man”, especially given his division and given his style we don't expect him to last too much longer, sadly. At his prime however he was an all out warrior, tough as old boots, aggressive and his one major downfall was that he light on power, something that will likely have sped his "aging" progress as a fighter.

Although no announcement regarding his future has been made he's rumoured to be in action on September 27th against Ryuji Hara.

8-Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38)Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao has been one of the sports most exciting fighters for more than a decade. Whilst it's fair to say he has slipped, significantly, from the fighter he once was he does still manage to excite fans and is that's both inside the ring and outside of it. The Pacquiao of a few years ago would have topped this list but the “Pac Man” does seem to have lost some of the fire that once made him a bonafide pay-per-view star. Things are also not helped by the recent memory of his dull contest with Floyd Mayweather Jr and his less than memorable showing against Brandon Rios. With talk of a Pacquiao Vs Amir Khan bout it does seem likely that Pacquiao will be in at least one more high octane contest before his career is over though the shine has certainly dulled on him in the eyes of many fans.

His ring return is likely to come next Spring though nothing is set in stone as of yet.(Video courtesy of Tolya Colon)

10-Daigo Higa (7-0, 7)The youngest man on this list is Daigo Higa, who has just turned 20 and yet already looks like a man who is going to be must watch every time he steps in the ring.

Higa is a stablemate of Koki Eto and fights in a similar, though more refined, manner. He's aggressive, aggressive and aggressive. Every time Higa is in the ring he comes forward, looks for the knock out and, so far, has scored one every time. For many his break out win came earlier this year, against Kongfah CP Freshmart, though fans in Tokyo were impressed by his wins over Virden Rivera and Cris Alfante, which were both impressively quick stoppages of solid fighters.

We've been informed that Higa's team are hoping he'll make a ring return before the year is out, though there is no set date or opponent being linked to him as of yet.

Honourable mentions -Wanheng Menayothing-Intelligent pressure fighter, even though he lacks lights out power he is great fun to watch -Akira Yaegashi-A real warrior who is coming to the end of his career though will always go out on his shield and give fans good value. -Takuya Kogawa-A warrior through and through. Though he lacks power he does enjoy a tear up and is scarcely in a dull fight -Suguru Muranaka-Another warrior who enjoys a tear up and is more than happy to let his hands go despite not being a note puncher.-Knockout CP Freshmart-With a name like “Knockout” you already know he's looking for the stoppage every time. -Rex Tso-Like many featured above this man from Hong Kong is flawed but that's what makes him so much fun with every fight being a war-Kyoo Hwan Hwang-Korean teenage has got ability though often lets his "Korean instinct" kick in and turns every fight so far into a slugfest

Over the last few years we've seen the emergence of the "Super Prospect" from Japan. Unlike most prospect's the hope with these guys isn't to work their way to a world title in a few years whilst running up a double figure record. Instead the hope is to do things quickly with the emphasis on fighting the fewest fights to become a world champion.

Japanese fighters winning titles early isn't a new thing. In fact in 1976 YokoGushiken began his sensation reign as the WBA Light Flyweight champion, dethroning Juan Antonio Guzman in just his 9th fight. Some 11 years later we saw HirokiIoka claim the WBC Minimumweight title with a decision win over Mai Thomburifarm to equal Gushiken's achievement.

Between the rise of Gushiken and Ioka we saw SatoshiShingaki claim a world title in just his 8th bout when he stopped Elmer Magallano for the IBF Bantamweight title to set a Japanese record*. It was an impressive achievement for the Southpaw who at the time was just 2 fights removed from a world itle loss to Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr, all the way down at Light Flyweight!

In 1991 we saw Shingaki's record equalled by the charismatic JoichiroTatsuyoshiwho claimed the WBC Bantamweight title in his 8th bout, when he stopped Greg Richardson. The always exciting "Joe" lost the title in his very next fight but went on to reclaim the belt and become a 3-time WBC champion, albeit with one reign as the "interim" champion.

Another fast riser emerged in 2006 when the insanely tough Nobuo Nashiro claimed the WBA Super Flyweight title in his 8th bout, out lasting Martin Castillo. Like Tatsuyoshi the reign was a short one though it seemed to set the stage for the rise of the super fast. The question however was "how fast is super fast?"

It wasn't until 2011 that a Japanese fighter managed to cut another fight off the record as the talented Kazuto Ioka, the nephew of Hiroki Ioka, managed to break the record and claim a world title in his 7th bout. Ioka, a former amateur stand out, claimed the WBC Minimumweight title, just like his uncle, when he stopped the previously unbeaten Oleydong Sithsamerchai for the title. At the time it seemed likely that Ioka's record would stand for at least decade, especially considering how long it had taken for a Japanese fighter to break the 8 fight barrier.

Sadly for Ioka his record was broken just over 3 years after he set it as Naoya Inoue did it in 6, stopping Adrian Hernandez in the 6th round of their clash to claim the WBC Light Flyweight title. Amazingly Inoue then went on to become the quickest 2-weight world champion, worldwide, whenhe blew away Omar Andres Narvaez to claim the WBO Super Flyweight title. Inoue had essentially taken Ioka's record, smashed it and then put the cherry on top all in the space of 9 destructive months.

Inoue's records, both of them, are amazing achievements. It seems however that one, if not both, may be under threat from a 19 year old wonder kid who may well be every bit as good as Inoue. That is Kosei Tanaka who attempts to claim his first world title at the end of May when he takes on Julian Yedras for the WBO Minimumweight title in what will be Tanaka's 5th professional bout. A sensational achievement if he manages to do it, and it seems his team really believes he will manage it and in some style. It's worth noting that in Tanaka's 4th bout he set a Japanese record for the fewest fights to become an OPBF champion, defeating the then unbeaten Ryuji Hara in 10 rounds.

For sake of comparison we've compared the first few bouts of Ioka, Inoue and Tanaka in the table below. For Ioka and Inoue we've included their first 7 bouts, taking us up to Inoue's first world title defense and Ioka's first world title win. Due to Tanaka having only fought 4 bouts we've only included 4 bouts for him.

Kazuto Ioka

Naoya Inoue

Kosei Tanaka

Fight #1

Thongthailek Sor Tanapinyo (8-10, 4)

Crison Omayao (16-4-1, 4)

Oscar Raknafa (12-4, 5)

Fight #2

Hiroshi Matsumoto (18-10-4, 8)

Ngaoprajan Chuwatana (9-10, 9)

Ronelle Ferreras (13-6-2, 5)

Fight #3

Takashi Kunishige (20-3-2, 2)

Yuki Sano (17-2-4, 12)

Crison Omayao (16-7-2, 4)

Fight #4

Heri Amol (27-10-4, 11)

Ryoichi Taguchi (18-1-1, 8)*

Ryuji Hara (18-0, 10)**

Fight #5

Albert Alcoy (12-6-3, 3)

Jerson Mancio (18-3-3, 9)**

N/A

Fight #6

Masayoshi Segawa (19-2, 8)*

Adrian Hernandez (29-2-1, 18)***

N/A

Fight #7

Oleydong Sithsamerchai (35-0-1, 13)***

Samartlek Kokietgym (17-4, 5)^

N/A

Age on debut

20

19

18

Age upon title win

21 (Japanese and World)

20 (Japanese, OPBF and World)

19 (OPBF)

Combined opponents record (Rounded to 2 decimal points)

139-41-19 (47)

[23.62% KO and 68.85% win rate]

124-27-10 (65)

[40.37% KO and 77.02% win rate]

59-17-4 (24) [Through 4 fights]

[30% KO and 73.75% win rate]

Average opponent (Rounded to nearest full number)

20-6-3 (7)

18-4-1 (9)

15-4-1 (6)

Rounds [Average per fight]

49 [7]

47 [6.71]

25 [6.25]

*Indicates Japanese Title win

**Indicates OPBF Title win

***Indicates World Title win

^Indicates world title defence

*In 1984 SatoshiShingaki won the IBF Bantamweight title in his 8th bout but at the time the IBF wasn't recognised by the JBC and his reign is a bit of a grey area. He was technically the first Japanese world champion to have had just 8 fights when he won the title though his reign seems to come with an asterisk and isn't fully accepted by some in Japan.

Over the past week or so the Super Flyweight division has come to the attention of fans world wide. In the UK fans saw a much touted and previously unbeaten fighter come up short against a world class but unheralded African world champion whilst fans watching a stream from Macau got the chance to see an all-action war courtesy of TopRankTV. Despite these two memorable event over this past weekend many still suggest the division is a weak one. The reality however, is that the division is one of the toughest and most packed out there.

The Monster

Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7)The standout fighter in the division, and it's most notable star by some margin, is 21 year old Naoya Inoue. The youngster from Kanagawa looks to be the fastest rising star in boxing and has all the tools to become a sure fire legend.

Inoue began his career just a few short years ago but became the WBC Light Flyweight champion in his 6th bout and then burst into the Super Flyweight scene with an astonishingly impressive and destructive victory over Omar Narvaez to claim the WBO title. That bout was supposed to be a test but instead it was a launch pad and Inoue now looks set to rule the roost at 115lbs for as long as he wishes.

In the ring there is very little Inoue can't do. He has shown his pressure fighting ability against Jerson Mancio, his boxing ability against Yuki Sano, and his destructive punching against Narvaez. He's got an incredible boxing IQ, thunderous power, lightening speed and scary know-how for a novice who is just getting better fight after fight.

Dubbed "Monster" for his speed and power, it appears Inoue has a really bright future ahead of him and we're expecting his ring return in August as he hunts the first defense of his WBO title

Rising Japanese

Sho Ishida (18-0, 10)The Ioka gym has been developing great fighters regularly over the last few years and the next one of those appears to be Super Flyweight Sho Ishida, who has already claimed the Japanese title and scored several wins of note.

At just 23 years old Ishida is still a boxing baby despite having had 18 professional bouts. Fortunately for Ishida those 18 bouts haven't been wasted and he has already notched up wins over Yasuto Aritomi, Petchbarngborn Kokietgym and Yohei Tobe with all 3 of those wins being over-looked by many fans.

In the ring Ishida is a nightmare to fight. He is rangy, tall and fast with a laser guided jab, busy hands and intelligent movement. There are flaws, and he's not the biggest puncher out there but here is developing into an excellent fighter and could well be fighting for a world title by the end of the year.

Although we expect to see Ishida defending his Japanese title in April nothing has been officially announced as of yet. If that bout comes off he will be fighting against Taiki Eto in what is another very credibly contest for the Ioka prospect.

The little Monster

﻿Takuma Inoue﻿ (4-0, 1)Having one Inoue in the division is bad news, having two is frankly horrific, at least if you're a contender in the division. Takuma, still a teenage, has already shown his highly impressive ability and seems like one of the sports few "nailed on future champions".

Although widely known as Naoya's little brother we've been nothing short of amazed by Takuma who appears to have similar skills to Noaya but trades more on his speed and movement rather than power. It's the speed that his seem him box the socks off of Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr and Argentina's Nestor Daniel Narvaes.

Although he's only 19 he's being brought through aggressively under the watchful eye of father-trainer Shingo Inoue and manager Hideyuki Ohashi. Together those two have have taken Naoya to a world title and are likely to do the same to Takuma.

At the moment we're awaiting the announcement of Takuma's next bout, but there is hope it could come in May, or at the very latest August. It's hoped that by the end of the year he will be moving into title fights with an OPBF or Japanese title well within his grasp.

The War Machine

Warlito Parrenas (23-6, 20)We all love exciting, offensive minded heavy handed fighters who can hurt and be hurt. With that in mind Warlito Parrenas really should be a fan favourite with his offense first mentality that sees him often stopping his opponents, or being stopped whilst he tries.

Aged 31 Parrenas, also known as "WARS Katsumata", began his career in 2007 and after 9 fights he had fallen to a disappointing 6-3. From the however he turned things around and has since gone 17-3 with his losses losses since then coming to solid fighters like Marlon Tapales and Jonathan Taconing.

Parrenas is currently the WBO #1 ranked fighter and is seen as one of the favourites to fight Naoya Inoue later in the year. Based on his style and power he could be a handful for anyone however he has managed to shown more calmness in recent bouts.

We've heard that Parrenas is set to travel to the UK next time out and battle the unbeaten Jamie Conlan in a WBO eliminator. The winner of that would the likely next opponent for Naoya Inoue however we all know how boxing works...

The Weak Link?

Kohei Kono (30-8-1, 13)It' s a bit unfair to suggest a 2-time world champion is the division's weak link at the top but Watanabe gym fight Kohei Kono is the champion that a lot of contenders seem to be eyeing up their potential route to the top, as fair or unfair as that seems.

Kono's record as a fighter is less polished than some other fighters and the 34 year old "Tough boy" is certainly not an unbeatable phenom. What he is however is a credible and tough champion who hits harder than his record suggest and enjoys a good old fashioned tear up as much as the fans do. Sadly however he's not the sort of fighter who will enjoy a chase and his movement is far from world class.

In the ring Kono has been in with a who's who. Unfortunately that has resulted in losses to Nobuo Nashiro, Tomas Rojas, Yota Sato and Liborio Solis, though he does hold credible wins over Eden Sonsona, Tepparith Kokietgym and Denkaosan Kaovichit. As limited as he is he can still punch with best of them and shouldn't be over-looked by anyone.

We're unsure when Kono will be back in. It was hope he'd be in action in May though WBA have ordered him to fight Koki Kameda while Bob Arum has eyed him as a potential foe for a July fight with Rex Tso.

Rising Thai

Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi's (7-0, 6)Thailand might not have many big name contenders in the division but one man who does look really promising is the unbeaten Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi's who's name might be a mouthful but his ability is outstanding.

Eaktawan only moved over to professional boxing in 2013 and although he's not beaten anyone of major value he has looked very good against the likes of Ichal Tobida, Edison Berwela and Jemmy Gobel. Those opponents have allowed Eaktawan to show off his hand speed and punch variation which have excited us.

We're hoping to see a lot more of Eaktawan over the next 12 months, if he does there's every chance we'll see him in the world rankings by the end of the year. There is however the experience building that needs doing with this youngster who is showing glimpses of brilliants but isn't close to being the complete article.

We're unsure when Eaktawan will be back in the ring but we're hoping to see a lot of him and we're hoping to see him step up a level rather than continue facing journeyman. We know major opponents will be few and far between but we can hope

The unbeaten but inconsistent

Arthur Villanueva (27-0, 14)One of the many fighters who has been lingering on the verges of a world title fight is Arthur Villanueva, a man who is known as both the "King" and a "Matador" though has at times failed to impress as he has shown up and down form, despite remaining unbeaten.

The 26 year old from Negros Occidental Looked very poor in wins over Fernando Aguilar and Henry Maldonado however eh really last time out as he dominated former world champion Julio Cesar Miranda in one of his stand out performances. It's this inconsistency that makes him frustrating to follow.

When on form the Pinoy fighter looks really good and shows intelligence to his boxing as well as speed, patience, power and technique. He has also shown his heart, having gotten up to win several times. The question, is whether he can do it when he steps up.

We suspect we'll see Villanueva on an upcoming ALA show in the Philippines. It may well be that we see him in a WBO eliminator or going another route to a title fight however at the moment we're unconvinced he could beat any of the champions

The Wild Card

Rey Megrino (21-20-3, 18)With a sub-500 record Rey Megrino is one of those pesky fighters who you think will be rubbish but turns out to be rather good. In fact had it not been relatively poor management there is a chance that Megrino would have been a real fixture on the world scene.

The 28 year old Filipino is one of the sports most heavy handed fighters and is a real danger man, as shown by the fact that almost 90% of his wins have come inside the distance. He's not the most skilled but's tough, heavy handed and a serious threat to those who just look at his record.

At one point Megrino was 6-8-1 whilst more recently he was 15-20-3. He has, however, rebuilt his career excellently and scored some notable wins in recent years defeating the likes of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Kenji Kubo, Myung Ho Lee and Ernesto Saulong.

It was rumoured that Megrino would be in the ring in March though it appears that those plans won't be carried out. Hopefully though it won't be long until the power punching Pinoy is back in the ring and back showing how misleading his record is.

The Thai Destroyer

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (32-4-1, 29)Active, destructive, aggressive and exciting are all words that spring to mind when talking about Thailand's former WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. He's not the best boxer in the division but he's among best fighters in the sport today.

Srisaket is one of the many fighters under the management of Nakonluang promotions and has managed to really make a name for himself in the last few years. Originally he a very unheralded fighter, in fact he started his career 1-3-1 but has since gone 31-1 with his only loss being a technical decision to Carlos Cuadras in Mexico. Sadly however he only has 1 really big win, his TKO over Yota Sato.

Although Srisaket's record is "padded" with lesser opponents he has shown his ability in the way he mowed through Sato and beat Hirofumi Mukai into submission. He's a nightmare to go up against and in many ways he's like a cruder version of Gennady Golovkin or Roman Gonzalez in that he applies pressure until he breaks his opponents.

The future for Srisaket seems to be about getting himself another show at the WBC title. To do that he will have to get past Jose Salgado in an eliminator which will be announced shortly.

Rising Filipino

Jerwin Ancajas (22-1-1, 14)The Philippines has a number of exciting fighters in the division though Jerwin Ancajas is one of the ones that really excites us and at just 23 years old there is a lot to be excited about. We know he's not ready yet but one day he will be.

Blessed with good looks, brilliant combinations, wonderful hand speed, an exciting style and spiteful power there is little to really dislike about Ancajas so far. He still has developing to do and is several years away from his physical prime but he is already showing glimpses of being a world champion,

To date the most glaring result on his record is his loss, a majority decision to Mark Anthony Geraldo, though since then he has rolled off 9 stoppages with two of them coming in Macau where he has managed to really impress. It's those stoppages that have helped him build some real momentum going forward.

It seems likely that Ancajas is going to be moved towards a world title in the next year or two. It won't be immediate but it will come and we may well see him in an eliminator early next year, if not very late this year.

The Experienced Contender

Oleydong Sithsamerchai (55-1-1, 21)Former WBC Minimumweight champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai has one of the sport's most impressive records and although not a current champion he is one of the many contenders in the talent laden Super Flyweight division.

Like many Thai's Oleydong found himself battle with the scales for much of his career though after suffering his first loss he jumped straight from 105lbs to 115lbs where he has now notched up a number of wins including solid victories over Mark Anthony Geraldo, Ryan Bito, Hiroyuki Hisataka and Giovanni Escaner.

Earlier in his career Oleydong was a big fighter at 105lbs where he won a world title and made 6 world title defenses beating the likes of Eagle Den Junlaphan, Pornsawan Porpramook, Muhammad Rackman and Juan Palacios.

Whilst Oleydong's next fight is unlikely to be a headline bout it's clear his team know that keeping him busy is the key to getting him another world title bout so we're expecting to see him shortly with 3 or 4 bouts, at least, this year.

The Hong Kong Wonder

Rex Tso (16-0, 9)One of the most exciting men in the division come from the unlikely place of Hong Kong, with many describing him as Hong Kong's only professional fighter. That is Rex "The Wonder Kid" Tso who really is a wonderful fighter to watch.

Tso is a happy go lucky 27 year old who takes his go lucky attitude into the ring and makes for fun to watch contests no matter who he is fighting. He's one of those fighters who could make shadow boxing look enthralling, though he also runs the risk of getting into a tear up with his shadow.

Although Tso is always happy to have a tear up he can actually box, as shown at times in his fight with Ratchasak KKP, though sadly he elects to fight rather than box. That could be his undoing down the line but for now it's going to make him a star in China.

The rumour regarding Tso is that he will be getting a bout with Kohei Kono later in the year. Those plans may need to be delayed for now, with the WBA demanding Kono fights Koki Kameda, but Tso will get a shot sooner rather than later.

Notable Others-The Japanese Renegade-Koki Kameda (33-1, 18) The oldest of the Kameda brothers is the current #2 WBA ranked fighter in the division and is the mandatory challenger to Kohei Kono with the WBA demanding the two men negotiate or face purse bids in a few weeks time. Kameda's resume is highly impressive with title reigns at Light Flyweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight though he wants a Super Flyweight title to become Japan's first ever 4 weight world champion. Sadly he is a divisive figure, similar to Adrien Broner, with many in Japan turning on him. Among those who have gotten sick of him and his brothers are the JBC who have banned him from fighting in Japan, though he has since made a very powerful ally in the form of Al Haymon who is likely to help make Kameda a big name in the US.

The tricky African champion-Zolani Tete (20-3, 17) The first of two non-Asian that we're going to mention here is IBF champion Tete who impressed last week when he derailed the hopes of the previously unbeaten Paul Butler in the UK. Tete won the title last year, when he out pointed Teiru Kinoshita, and his fight with Butler was his first defence. Tall, rangy and with an educated southpaw jab Tete is a nightmare to fight and made both Butler and Kinoshita look clueless in their bouts with him. His biggest worry as a Super Flyweight will be out growing the division, a possibility given his frame, but for as long as he can made 115lbs he's going to be an avoided opponent. Most worryingly for his future opponents, he seems happier fighting on the road than he does at home.

The Mexican champion-Carlos Cuadras (31-0-1, 25) The remaining champion in the division is WBC champion Teiken managed Mexican boxer-puncher Cuadras who won his title last year when he over-came Srisaket Sor Rungvisai via a technical decision. The talented Cuadras is a fighter who can box or brawl, electing to do what suits him best for each fight. Unfortunately for Cuadras recent bouts have been marred with headclashes though it's hard not to be excited when we see Cuadras in the ring. Thankfully we won't need to wait long to see him back in the ring with Cuadras set to fight Luis Concepcion on April 4th in what looks likely to be an absolutely enthralling contest.

Before the year was out many fans, websites and organisations were talking about their 2014 boxing awards. We have no problem with doing awards though do wish that people would wait until the year was over. Last year, for example, everyone missed out on the huge upset on New Years Eve when Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr upset Ryo Miyazaki. We need to hope in future people will follow our lead and wait until the year is over before publishing their awards for the year.

This year, 2014, things were even more complicated with 2 days of top quality action featuring a potential upset of the year and a potential fighter of the year, among others. To put it into perspective, those who decided to jump ahead may have gotten numerous awards very wrong and almost certainly 1 award wrong by simply being a little bit too impatient.

We'll start with that award, the Fight of the Year award for 2014. Going into the final week of the year there were 4 men in the running with one of those men having a fighter in the finals days of the year. It was that man who literally grab the award at the last minute and made a statement that saw boxing fans around the world sit up, take notice and began talking about both him and the super Flyweight division.

Firstly the runners up:Manny Pacquiao- The Filipino congressman had a somewhat quiet year but yet one that really was worth making a note of as he beat two unbeaten world champions with a combined record of 51-0-0-1. They were Timothy Bradley, who he beat back in April, and Chris Algieri, who he beat in November. On paper the wins, both by decision, look great though in reality they were expected wins.

Gennady Golovkin- The Kazakh power puncher scored 3 wins this year, all by stoppage, including a an eye catching 3rd round KO against former unified champion Daniel Geale and opening round stoppage over tough Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio. Sadly Golovkin's issue for the year is that he is simply too good for the other Middleweights out there and even the top guys in the division don't really make for appealing fights with him. He, like Pacquiao, beat men he was supposed and although he did quickly, a combined 12 rounds, it does feel like he is treading water in the hope of finding a suitable challenge.

The winner:We suspect you may have been able to guess but the winner is.... the Monster from Kanagawa Naoya Inoue. Inoue, like Golovkin, went 3-0 (3) for the year and though unlike Golovkin he managed to make a splash and then another splash. The first came when he set a Japanese record by winning a world title in 6th professional bout, battering Adrian Hernandez into submission in April to claim the WBC Light Flyweight title. A weak defence in September may not have been great but a jump up 2 divisions to Super Flyweight in December saw him decimating Omar Andres Narvaez to become a 2 weight world champion in a world record setting 8 professional bouts.

Whilst the result on paper were excellent what was even better were the performances and watching his beat down of Narvaez was a joy on the eye. It was clinical, destructive, and even a bit magical. We know a lot of fans world wide have taken notice of Inoue now and we hope that their interest will expand beyond Inoue and help fans get into the Super Flyweight division and the rising Japanese super prospects such as his young brother Takuma Inoue and the equally fast rising Kosei Tanaka.

With the recent news that Kosei Tanaka (3-0, 1) would be fighting Ryuji Hara (18-0, 10) for the OPBF Minimumweight title we got a little bit excited by the idea that Tanaka is likely to challenge for a world title in just his 5th bout, if he gets past Hara. If Tanaka managed to get past Hara and then win a world title in his very next fight he would set a Japanese record for the fewest fights to a world title. The question however is how would he compare to other Asian fighters?

Saensak Muangsurin (3rd fight & 7th fight)The tied world record for fewest fights to a world title is Thailand's Saensak Muangsurin who claimed the WBC Light Welterweight title in just his 3rd bout when he stopped Perico Fernandez in 8 rounds. This bout, way back in 1975, set an almost unmatchable standard for becoming a world champion and it was more than 30 years later until Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko finally managed to tie this record.

Muangsurin was 24 at the time and had had a long and successful career in Muay Thai, in fact he was one of the the top Muay Thai fighters of his era and used that experience to help him on his fast track to the top. Unfortunately Muangsurin's reign was short lived and he lost the title in just his 6th professional bout after making just a single defence of the belt.

Although Muangsurin lost his title in his 6th bout he did regain it a fight later meaning he was a 2-time champion after just 7 fights an amazing achievement that is unlikely to be matched by any other fghter.

Veeraphol Sahaprom (4th fight)Another of the quickest men to a world title was another Thai Veeraphol Sahaprom who won the WBA Bantamweight title in just his 4th professional contest. Veeraphol, like Muangsurin, was a former Muay Thai fighter who transitioned to boxing with immediate success and won an international title on debut and a world title just 9 months later making him one of the quickest fighters to a world title in both time and fights.

Sahaprom over-came domestic foe Daorung Chuwatana via a narrow split decision to win his first world title and although he lost the belt in his first defence, being stopped in 2 rounds by Nana Yaw Konadu, he would later become the WBC Bantamweight champion and score notable wins over Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and Toshiaki Nishioka.

At the time of his win over in Chuwatana in 1995 for his first world title Sahaprom was just 26 years old, he would continue fighting until 2010 retiring for good at the the age of 41 and establishing himself as one of the great modern day Thai's.

Naoya Inoue (6th fight)The Japanese record for fewest fights to a world title is held by current WBC Light Flyweight champion Naoya Inoue who won a world title earlier this year with a stoppage victory over the much more experienced Adrian Hernandez. Going in to this bout Inoue was the favourite and was highly regarded as a once in a generation fighter with skills so advanced that many had tipped him as a future world champion from his debut. The rise of Inoue's saw him winning a Japanese title in his 4th bout and an OPBF title in his 5th bout.

Dubbed "Monster" Inoue will be making his first defence this coming Friday when he takes on Samartlek Kokietgym. If Inoue is successful against Samartlek the odds are he will be moving up a weight in an attempt to become a 2-weight world champion within 10 fights, that would be another record we can't imagine many fighters ever beating.

Having only turned professional in 2012 it took Inoue just 18 months to become a world champion, another Japanese record that Tanaka will be chasing.

Kazuto Ioka (7th fight)Inoue, see above, broke a previous Japanese record when he beat Kazuto Ioka's record of 7 fights. Ioka, who won the WBC Minimumweight title back in 2011 with a 5th round TKO victory over Thailand's Oleydong Sithsamerchai. Ioka had claimed the Japanese title a fight earlier and stepped up big time to beat Oleydong though some did question whether or not the Thai was struggling at the weight. Whether Oleydong was killing himself to make 105lbs or not is immaterial to the fact Ioka was still a complete professional novice.

Following his quick rise to his first world title Ioka has managed to unify belts, in just his 10th bout, and then became a 2-weight world champion in just his 11th professional bout. Ioka did however fail in an attempt to become a 3-weight world champion in his 15th fight, losing to Amnat Ruenroeng.

Ioka begins his climb back following his first loss on September 16th when he fights Pablo Carillo.

Muangchai Kittikasem (7th fight)Prior to Ioka's there was several other men who world titles in their 7th professional bouts. One of them was Thailand's Muangchai Kittikasem who claimed the IBF Flyweight title with a split decision win over Filipino fighter Tacy Macalos, who was making the first defence of his title.

Like the other Thai's listed here Kittikasem was a former Muay Thai star who turned to boxing, and like the others he had a very successful career. Not only did he win a world title in just his 7th professional bout but he later went on to become a 2-weight world champion when he won the WBC Flyweight title in just his 15th professional fight. In just 29 fights Kittikasem fought 11 world title bouts in a career that lasted less than 11 years in total.

Sung-Kil Moon (7th fight)A third fighter who won his first world title in his 7th fight was South Korean Sung-Kil Moon who claimed the WBA Bantamweight title with a technical decision win over Khaokor Galaxy after just 17 months as a professional. Moon would twice defend the belt before losing it back to Galaxy 11 months later.

Just 6 months after losing his first title Moon became a 2-weight world champion by defeating Nana Yaw Konadu for the WBC Super Flyweight title making him one of the few fighters to drop down in weight to become a multi-weight world champion.

Moon's 22 fight career lasted little more than 6 years though he was a 2-weight world champion with a stunning 15 world title fights. A genuinely amazing career that may not have lasted long though was incredible all the same.

This past week saw Boxnation publish an article on the biggest punchers in the sport. The article whilst having solid selections overall did seem to have a general "main stream" bias with only several of the fighters being somewhat unproven American or fighters that are certainly not what they once were.

On the whole the selections they had were solid and credible though we tend to feel that the article failed to really give a fair representation of the fighters from outside of their own broadcasts and when you consider many of their shows are from Europe or North America it explains their bias. Like wise it tended to feel like the article was done by someone who had watched the channel rather than someone who actually watched world wide boxing.

With the issues in the Boxnation article I've decided to do my own "Biggest Punchers" article with 11 fighters.

Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26) [89.66%]The one Asian who was represented on the Boxnation article was Kazakhstani Middleweight Gennady Golovkin who has the highest KO % of any active world champion.

Golovkin is really a man who can do anything in the ring though is at his destructive best when he cuts down the ring, forces an opponent to throw then counters with precision and power. It's this power that has made him a star in the US and has helped him become one of the true "must watch" fighters.

Although a highly accomplished amateur Golovkin has become less about "point scoring" in the professional ranks and more about destruction which he has shown in both vicious beat downs and 1-punch KO's. The beat downs, given out to the likes of Gregorz Proksa and Gabriel Rosado, were bludgeoning affairs where every punch took a toll whilst his 1-punch KO's over Lajuan Simon, Nobuhiro Ishida and Matthew Macklin were highlight reel KO's that showed off the explosiveness of the Kazakh.

With 16 straight stoppages, including a number against decent world level opponents, there is little doubting the power of "GGG".

Takashi Uchiyama (21-0-1, 17) [77.27%]Arguably the hardest punching fighter, pound-for-pound, currently based in the Orient is WBA Super Featherweight champion Takashi Uchiyama who's power has lead to his brilliant nickname of "KO Dynamite".

Uchiyama, at 34 years old, does look to be a man on the slide slightly but with his power no one will be in a rush to mix it up with him and one clean shot to either head or body from the huge punching Watanabe Gym fighter can end a fight at any moment.

Uchiyama burst on to the world scene in 2009 when he stopped Juan Carlos Salgado in 12 rounds and has since shown his power by stopping 6 of his subsequent 8 opponents inside the distance including scoring a highlight real KO over the very capable Jorge Solis and a sickening body shot KO over Jaider Parra.

Of the two recent fights that Uchiyama hasn't scored a stoppage in one was a technical draw with rough Filipino Michael Farenas whilst the other was a decision against Daiki Kaneko, a man we feel is a future world champion. Sadly however there is some questioning of just how long Uchiyama has left at the top though for now it's hard to argue with the power of "KO Dynamite"

Shinsuke Yamanaka (21-0-2, 16) [69.57%]If Uchiyama is Japan's biggest puncher then it's fair to say that Shinsuke Yamanaka is the second biggest despite his record not actually showing it, in fact Yamanaka's record is one of the most misleading in the sport.

The WBC Bantamweight champion stopped just 2 of his first 8 opponents as he began 6-0-2 (2) though from then on he has stopped 14 of 15 opponents with several stoppages over very tough fighters like Ryosuke Iwasa, Tomas Rojas, Malcolm Tunacao, Alberto Guevara and Stephane Jamoye. Impressively Yamanaka hasn't just been stopping foes fighter after fight but they have pretty much all been dropped at least once.

Known as the "God of Left" Yamanaka really does have thunder bottled in his left hand and he has developed how he uses it excellently to score real beat downs as well as eye catching KO's. There is little doubt that his level of competition is higher than most fighters, worldwide, and the fact he is stopping world class opponents on a regular basis really does show up just how confusing his KO% actually is.

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (27-3-1, 25) [80.65%]The only Thai on this list is WBC Super Flyweight champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai who is a true whirling dervish in the ring. Srisaket's KO rate may be just shy of 81% but, as with Yamanaka, it's a misleading figure with the Thai having stopped 24 of his last 26 foes.

Srisaket of course started his career with an unspectacular 1-3-1 beginning though has risen through the Super Flyweight division by simply destroying opponents with a vicious and never ending assault. It's the not actually raw power which has really helped Srisaket though every punch he lands is hurtful and the cumulative effect of those shots is simply too much for many fighters to take.

In terms of 1-punch power Srisaket is probably lacking though every single shot is nasty, spiteful and hurtful. He's the sort of fighter who my not take your head off with a single shot but will break over the course of a fighter.

Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38) [60.32%]Filipino puncher Manny Pacquiao was once seen as a phenom in the ring stopping a who's who of top tier fighters from Chatchai Sasakul to Marco Antonio Barrera, from Erik Morales to Ricky Hatton from Oscar De La Hoya to Miguel Cotto. A few short years ago he'd have topped this list based on his scalps alone. Unfortunately however the "Pacman", whilst still hurtful, is no longer the wrecking machine he once was and he hasn't scored a stoppage in his last 8 fights. That has dropped him from 69.09% all the way down to 60.32% despite the drop off in KO's few would argue that Pacquiao is solid puncher.

Part of the drop off in Pacquiao's knockouts has come due to the fact he is facing naturally bigger men, such as Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey whilst also facing incredibly tough men such as Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Brandon Rios. He still hits hard but those men are big and tough guys themselves.

Aged 35 the Filipino star is surely on the back end of his illustrious hall of fame career though it's fair to say the KO's he scored through out his career will serve him well with highlight videos being published across the net.

Naoya Inoue (6-0, 5) [83.33%]When we talk about super stars the new star in world boxing in Naoya Inoue who, after just 6 fights, is already a world champion and already looks like a scary fighter. The 21 year old has managed to claim Japanese, OPBF and world titles in just 6 fights and a combined 36 rounds.

With an 83.33% KO rate Inoue has one of the highest stoppage rates of any active champion and is showed that power to great effect in his title winning effort which saw him stopping Adrian Hernandez for the WBC Light Flyweight title.

It may be a little early to declare Inoue as one of the hardest punchers in the world but his record speaks for it's self and his nickname of "Monster" really does seem accurate with his physical strength as well as his power. Even the jab of the 21 year old seems spiteful never mind his true power shots, such as the beauty he landed against Ngaoprajan Chuwatana in just his second professional contest.

Ryota Murata (4-0, 4)Arguably the hardest pure puncher currently plying their trade in the Orient is Ryota Murata. The Middleweight sensation may not yet be fighting at the world level though has been cruising through opponents and improving fight after fight.

On debut he of course stopped the OPBF champion Akio Shibata, a man who is stoppable but is in no means soft. He then followed that up with a very good win over the surprisingly tough Dave Peterson before scoring stoppages over former world title challenger Carlos Nascimento and tough Mexican Jesus Angel Nerio.

Whilst no one would suggest Murata is ready for a world title fight he is beating tough guys by breaking them down with his heavy handed assault to head and body and the way he is racing up towards the world rankings is impressive. He is still a work in progress but his power is certainly there, just as it was in the amateurs where he was sensational.

Kanat Islam(16-0, 13) [81.25%]Gennady Golovkin, our #1 power puncher, isn't the only Kazakh impressing with his power, another is the US based Kanat Islam.

Although Islam is based in Florida he has been making his name in Latin America with fights in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic and has not only been scoring stoppages but has been rising in to the rankings whilst picking up WBA regional titles.

Of course the biggest issue with Islam is that he's not been stopping well known fighters or quality fighters. In fact his best win to date has come over HumbertoToledo, who lasted less than a minute with the big punching Islam. Incidentally Boxnation's list included Randall Bailey who took 8 rounds to take a DQ win over Toledo which would suggest that Islam does hit incredibly hard.

Ranked #11 by the WBA at Light Middleweight Islam is a man who looks likely to make a mark on the wider boxing world in the next year or so. He will need to continue his winning streak though it's hard not to be impressed by a man who is averaging just 2.75 rounds per fight!

Keita Obara (11-1, 10) [83.33%]One more Japanese fighter who has serious power is OPBF Light Welterweight champion Keita Obara who has thunderous power which has helped him string together 11 straight wins with 10KO's. Those wins have seen him claiming the Japanese and OPBF titles whilst walking through the likes of Jay Solmiano and So Takenaka.

Obara isn't the most skilled or the hardest working but when he tags someone he does serious harm often rendering a fighter void of their senses with just 1 clean shot. This guy has the sort of power that generates excitement, at least domestically.

The problem with Obara is that we're not certain of how well his power will carry up as he moves through the levels to fringe world class. We're hoping it carries up and that he could become a star on the international scene though we will have to wait in the hope that he fights a world ranked fighter like Czar Amonsot, Patomsuk Pathompothong or Min Wook Kim, all of whom would make for fun to watch bouts and a real test for Obara.

Jonathan Taconing (18-2-1, 15) [71.43%]Another OPBF champion included in this list is Light Flyweight champion Jonathan Taconing who really has spite in his punches despite fighting in the 108lb division.

Taconing first came to the attention of hardcore fans when he went toe-to-toe with Thailand's tough Kompayak Porpramook and appeared to be getting the better of the bout before a controversial technical decision cost Taconing what should have been the WBC Light Flyweight world title, the title that is now around the waist of Naoya Inoue.

Since the loss to Porpramook fans have been able to see Taconing score 5 wins in a combined 23 rounds, including a very impressive stoppage over Vergilio Silvano to claim the OPBF title.

Taconing isn't a big name but he's a fighter with a genuinely exciting style, an aggressive mentality and the ability to give anyone at 108lbs real trouble. We'd love to see him given a second world title fight and with his style he could well

Rey Megrino (21-20-3, 18) [40.91%]The true "joker" amongst the hardest Asian punchers is the under-rated Filipino Rey Megrino. Although Megrino boasts a KO rate of less than 41% he is a true banger and what he connects with he hurts. Unfortunately he does have one of the most odd and misleading records due to the start of his career which was certainly less than stellar.

Although Megrino has won less than half of his fights he has shown distinct improvements in recent years and those improvements have seen him learning how to use his natural god given power to it's full effect. Those improvements have seen him stopping 5 of his last 6 opponents including the legendary Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, the once touted Kenji Kubo and the unbeaten Ernesto Saulong. In fact the only fighter to survive the distance with Megrino in the last year was Myung Ho Lee who was dropped even though he saw out the distance.

Megrino's current run has seen him climb into the WBC world rankings with a #9 Flyweight ranking and although the ranking, in theory, makes him an attractive target his power has put opponents off and it's completely understandable as to why.

If you were to ask me what I think of 2014 so far, I'd say that the year has been very quiet. Whilst some fight fans will say that the first few weeks of any new year is quiet for boxing this one just seems quieter than usual.

I understand, that the lack of fights is, at least partially, down to the winter Olympics. I can appreciate that no promoter wants to go head-to-head with one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Though what I can't understand is the real lack of action in almost every country. Some weeks haven't just been quiet but have been pretty much silent in terms of notable fights (and I really stretch the definition of "notable fights" right here).

Thankfully though the lack of action in the ring hasn't stopped us from getting word of several major bouts which are either signed or strongly rumoured for this year. It appears that the battling in the ring might have been unexciting but the battle of the match makers, promoters and lawyers has been highly enticing.

I've decided that, instead of talking about the lack of bouts for once, I'd take a look at some of the best ones that have either been signed, are getting signed or seem likely to be made later this year.

Courtesy of http://boxingnews.jp

Naoya Inoue v Adrian Hernandez (April 6th, Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo)The first big major bout that we've got coming up was announced just a few short days ago and features Japanese youngster Naoya Inoue (5-0, 4) taking on Mexican Adrian Hernandez (29-2-1, 18) for the WBC Light Flyweight title.

Aged 20 Inoue is still a boxing baby though his potential was clear from his days as an amateur and his desire to be one of the fastest moved fighters in the history of the sport has been a real breath of fresh air. For some however he is being rushed too fast and should have had a few more fights before fighting a dangerous for like Hernandez.

From where I am sat Inoue is more than ready for a world title fight. He is wonderfully gifted, exciting, and more advanced than almost anyone else his age. As well as that he has also been given top training by his father, Shingo Inoue, and has shared a ring with both Akira Yaegashi and Ryota Murata, both of whom have had nothing but glowing words about the youngster.

Hernandez is dangerous and experienced. He does however have numerous flaws and could well be the weakest of the champions at 108lbs. It's a huge ask for Inoue, of course it is, but this is the aggressive matchmaking which has made the Ohashi Gym so well liked by fans and fighters alike.

Hozumi Hasegawa v Kiko Martinez (April 23rd, Castle Hall, Osaka)The second great looking match up takes place less than 3 weeks after the Inoue/Hernandez fight and will see former Bantamweight and Featherweight champion Hozumi Hasegawa (33-4, 15) attempting to become a 3-weight world champion. As with Inoue's bout Hasegawa will be taking on a dangerous world champion as he battles Spain's Kiko Martinez (30-4, 22), the current IBF Super Bantamweight champion.

Martinez was a man courted by a number of fighters, including Carl Frampton and Scott Quigg, though it seems that Hasegawa's team have done enough to convince him to travel for his first bout in Asia.

Whilst Hasegawa, at 33 years old, is a man coming to the end of his career he will feel like he has one more great performance left in him. He'll be hoping that that great performance happens here as Kiko is a very dangerous puncher with an all out pressure mind-set. The Spaniard isn't the most skilled but is very strong and has a brutal attitude in the ring.

If Hasegawa, who some are already writing off, can beat Martinez he will become Japan's second ever 3-weight world champion and cap off a remarkable career. He may not have become the star of Japanese boxing like some had hoped but his name, win or lose, will be very fondly remembered by the boxing fans in his homeland. A win however would see him being put up amongst the genuinely great Japanese fighters.

Picture: Hozumi Hasegawa and Shinsuke Yamanaka

Courtesy of http://www.wboboxing.com

Tomoki Kameda v Pungluang Sor Singyu (Date and venue yet to be announced)There is something about the Japanese/Thai rivalry that really adds an extra something to bouts. This will next be seen at the world level later this month as Yodmongkol Vor Saengthep defends his WBA interim Flyweight title against Takuya Kogawa. That fight however pales in comparison to the bout between WBO Bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda (29-0, 18), pictured, and Pungluang Sor Singyu (46-2, 31).

Whilst no date has been set for Tomoki/Pungluang it's a bout that is very difficult not get very excited about. Tomoki looks to be the best fighter in Kameda family and can do it all. He can box wonderfully on the back foot or he can fight going forward. Pungluang on the other hand is an in your face fighter from Thailand who comes forward and tries to make every bout a real fight. If he can cut the ring off from Kameda this could be a potential fight of the year.

The few details that have been leaked about this contest is that it could take place in either Japan or the US. I'm personally hoping it's in the US so that every fan state side gets a chance to see these two men in action and gets to see a very even looking all-Asian bout that could well reignite the interest in watching these sorts of bouts in both the US and Europe.

This, a WBC mandatory for champion Srisaket, has all the ingredients of being a special contest between two big hitting fighters and aggressively minded fighters.

Srisaket was one of the break out stars of last year and scored an impressive 7 victories, 6 by KO, which included a shockingly destructive victory over Yota Sato and impressive beat down of the brave Hirofumi Mukai. Although he's relatively unknown outside of Thailand and Japan Srisaket is nothing short of terrifying.

Like Srisaket, Cuadras is also aggressively minded and with the bout rumoured to be in Mexico he may well have a notable advantage in terms of home field. Saying that though Srisaket is by far the best fighter that Cuadras will have ever stepped in to the ring with and may well have too much power, aggression, strength and toughness for the unbeaten Mexican.

The only things confirmed about this bout is that Teiken will be the promoters and this it will be a sure fire war for as long as it lasts.

The bout is one that Yamanaka has been talking about a lot to the Japanese press and seems to be a contest he really wants even though he would have to step up in weight and travel to the US to get it, two things he has been very happy to accept.

Yamanaka has helped pressure the fight by doing a better job on former Santa Cruz opponent Alberto Guevara and seems set to do the same against Stephane Jamoye when the two meet on April 23rd. Whilst some may view this as Yamanaka fighting Santa Cruz's "cast off's" the fact he is looking to do a better job than Santa Cruz could well be enough to make fans question just how good Santa Cruz really is.

As for Santa Cruz, the all out Mexican fighting machine will need to get past slippery and skilful Cristian Mijares on March 8th for this bout to take place. We don't imagine Santa Cruz will have any problems with Mijares though we'd not be shocked if Santa Cruz tries to show more to his boxing than his pressure style, at least for a few rounds.

Courtesy of http://www.ohashi-gym.com/

Akira Yaegashi v Roman Gonzalez (Speculative)Last week saw Ohashi gym announcing a show for April 6th that included not only Naoya Inoue's bout with Adrian Hernandez, see above, but also a contest between WBC Flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi (19-3, 9) and Odilon Zaleta (15-3, 8) as well as an under-card contest involving Roman Gonalez (38-0, 32).

When that card was announced Yaegashi seemed to strongly suggest that his next defense, if he gets past Zaleta of course, will be against Gonzalez in what is a Flyweight contest to really be excited about.

Gonzalez, who fought this past weekend against Juan Kantun, is arguably the best offensive fighter on the planet. He is a destructive machine that combines speed, power, skill and an outstanding array of punches.

If the bout, as expected, gets signed for fall or winter then we have a bout that will see Yaegashi's toughness and experienced put against Gonzalez's intelligent aggression. One thing is certain, this one will have the potential to be a fight of the year.

Of course, no date has been set for this one and both men will need to win on April 6th but that shouldn't be a problem.